Opinion
 

Nation mourns, remembers President Reagan

By Richard W. Whitrock

While many remember the 1980s as "The Decade of Greed" and fondly recall such fashions as ridiculously big hair and pastel leotards, still more think of the kind, wizened face of a true leader. They think of that open smile, the glossy black hair and passionate words. They think of a man whose love for his wife was clear at all times, and a woman whose strength was surpassed only by her love for her husband. They think of a man named Ronald Reagan.

From gas lines to hard lines, from trickle down "voodoo" economics to tearing down the wall of communism, Reagan led this country through dark and dangerous times and into the light.

But people don't remember Reagan because he conquered communism. People don't remember Reagan because he stymied stagflation, ran up unprecedented debt, cut taxes for the rich, or any number of other political achievements/mistakes (depending on one's viewpoint). People don't even remember him because he started the wave of conservatism that this country still rides today or because of a catchy nickname: "The Great Communicator."

They remember Reagan because he remembered the people. What made Reagan The Great Communicator was not his accomplishments, but rather his willingness to come before the people and treat us like we mattered. They remember a president who wasn't afraid to address a nation to ask for its support in Congress. They remember a man who was guided by his principles and lived them both publicly and privately.

America formed a connection to President Reagan because President Reagan reached out to connect with America. He broke down more walls than those in Berlin; he also broke down those between the people and their government, walls that in some ways have come back up today.

In a decade of excess, drugs, violence, corruption, gangs, disrespect and bad hair, when the people felt betrayed and forgotten by their culture and their fellow man, their president spoke to them with dignity and hope. Their leader befriended and confronted them with intense optimism, and helped restore their pride. He was the hammer that crumbled the wall.

People loved Reagan because he loved America, and they are Americans. He was a leader to a nation that felt lost, a friend to a nation that felt hated, and a supporter to a nation that felt alone -- a father to a bastard nation.

Like most fathers, Reagan had much to teach America. Lessons in courage, hope and love found their way to Americans every day, and with his death, despite the illness that killed him, those words and lessons are now remembered. May they serve as a final lesson to the leaders of today. May his successors hear what he would give as his last message, a message thats irony does not diminish its power:

"Do not forget. Do not forget the people, and do not forget hope. Tear these walls down."

Richard W. Whitrock, editor of the Opinion section 
for The Daily Cougar, can be reached at dccampus@mail.uh.edu